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Elon Musk by Walter Isaascson

Leading Blog

Entrepreneurs are actually not risk takers,” says X.com CFO Roelof Botha. First principles and the Idiot Index: As he stewed about the absurd price the Russians wanted to charge, he employed some first-principles thinking, drilling down to the basic physics of the situation and building up from there. They’re risk mitigators.

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Does The Age Of A Board Affect Company Innovation?

The Horizons Tracker

This patience is different from what CEOs, the big bosses of companies, usually focus on – things like how well the company is doing financially and the stock price. However, when they looked at just the difference in how long the CEO and the CFO (the person in charge of the money) plan for the future, it didn’t seem to matter much.

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Don't Let Customers Freak Out Over Price Hikes

Harvard Business Review

Last year's business pages were filled with episodes of consumer outrage over price hikes. Three and a half months after announcing a price increase in July 2011, Netflix had lost 800,000 customers and its stock nosedived from $291 to $75. Netflix stood firm on its pricing decision and its stock has since inched up to $124.

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Avon CEO Andrea Jung Takes Seat on Apple's Board :: Women on Business

Women on Business

Avon’s stock price was up 15% in 2007. She’s taking over the seat formerly occupied by Apple’s former CFO, John Anderson, who resigned amidst a stock options backdating scandal. Avon’s stock price was up 15% in 2007. In fact, that’s how Jung got her position on the Apple board of directors.Â

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To bid or not to bid? That is the question.

Strategy Driven

The main goal of bidding is get the cheapest price. If you win, it’s likely you did at a severe reduction of price and loss of profit. Make an appointment with the CFO. Make your case against taking the lowest price and in favor of making a profit. Nor, for the most part, do they care. That’s the bad news.

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McDonald’s Has to Do More than Manipulate Its Stock Price

Harvard Business Review

The “turnaround plan” recently announced by McDonald’s includes an aggressive program to manipulatively boost its stock price via stock buybacks, an activity that has become the major focus of its corporate strategy over the past decade. ” In 2014, McDonald’s expended $3.2 The winners. Ban buybacks by U.S

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Mobile Payments and the 'Wow' Factor: Q&A With Square CFO Sarah Friar

Harvard Business Review

We asked Square''s CFO and Operations Lead, Sarah Friar , for perspectives on this technology, what it means for marketers, and how to manage in the world of mobile innovation. I think most bigger merchants certainly don''t want to be in the price-discounting market. Below is an edited version of our conversation.

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